Colgan's Cryptic
Across
1. Shrewd know-how’s left out in complaint (8)
5. Easing of tension with a welcome intervention (4)
9. Adjust one’s position effectively, as Chinese acrobats do (4,3,6)
10. Future inspection’s dismissed up front (7)
11. Herd ranged afar, ending back at the start (5)
12. Straight-hit boundaries interspersed with singles (6)
13. A sequence of letters posted by an Asian (6)
16. Watch part’s an indicator of times (5)
18. Following a cruel setback, one has a complaint (7)
19. Fold pounded hide (2,11)
20. Square is made secure (4)
21. Unscrupulous lie given to seduce (8)
Down
1. Take no action about different way that Government members assemble (3,2,3,5)
2. Athletic players lost second place to another football team (7)
3. Ensemble of six do routine number (7,5)
4. Leader has pronounced palpitation (6)
6. Agony overshadows start of optimist’s good day (5)
7. Movies confuse cowboy Kit (7,6)
8. It’s fabulous seeing eagles touch down near their nest (4,2,6)
14. Port and meat at nosh-up (7)
15. One supporting short men (6)
17. Sleazebag is to botch things, not up with it (5)
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Explanations
(C = cryptic part of clue + S = straight part of clue; or S
+ S = clue holding answer twice with two different straight
meanings; or POW = play on words.)
Note that joining words may or may not be an integral part of the
clue.
Punctuation and capital letters are irrelevant.
The art of the setter is to make it non-obvious how and where to
split the clue,
and to mislead the solver along an irrelevant path.
Across
1. C: shrewd know-how (slickness) left out
(remove “l”)
S: complaint = sickness
5. C: with a welcome intervention (inside “with a
welcome”)
S: easing of tension = thaw
9. S: adjust one’s position effectively = turn the
tables
S: as Chinese acrobats do = turn the tables
10. C: inspection (look) dismissed up front (out, beforehand)
S: future = outlook
11. C: ranged afar (roved), ending back at the start (“d”
moved to the start)
S: herd = drove
12. C: hit boundaries (h , t) interspersed with singles
(separated by “ones”)
S: straight = honest
13. C: a (a) sequence of letters (fgh) posted by an (placed
next to “an”)
S: Asian = Afghan
16. C: part (role) an indicator of times (X)
S: watch = Rolex
18. C: following a (after “a”) cruel setback (“mean”
backwards) one (I) has a (a)
S: complaint = anaemia
19. C: fold (go under) pounded (ground)
S: hide = go underground
20. S: square = tied
S: made secure = tied
21. C: unscrupulous lie given (anagram of “lie given”)
S: seduce = inveigle
Down
1. C: take no action (sit tight) about
different (around “other”)
S: way that government members assemble =
sit to the right
2. C: Athletic players (Charlton (Athletic)) lost
second place (remove “h”)
S: another football team = Carlton
3. C: ensemble of six do routine (anagram of “six
do routine”)
S: numb-er = nitrous oxide
4. C: pronounced palpitation (homonym of
“shake”)
S: leader = sheikh
6. C: agony (hell) overshadows start of optimist
(above “o”)
S: good day = hello
7. C: movies (westerns) confuse (addle)
S: cowboy kit = western saddle
8. C: (eagles) touch down near their nest (land
off aerie)
S: it’s fabulous = land of faerie
14. C: meat (ham) nosh-up (grub, upwards)
S: port = Hamburg
15. C: short men (Pat , Ron)
S: one supporting = patron
17. C: botch things (louse up) not up with it (without “up”)
S: sleazebag = louse